Last updated: July 23, 2026
What Is an OPP Police Check?
The Ontario Provincial Police is the police of jurisdiction for most of rural and small-town Ontario: if your community has no municipal police service, the OPP is your police service, and an OPP police check is simply a police record check issued by them. Ontario standardized record checks into three types, and the OPP issues all of them: the criminal record check (CRC), the criminal record and judicial matters check (CRJMC), and the vulnerable sector check (VSC). The OPP also processes a fourth document, the non-parent custody check, for family court situations.
Which type you need is decided by whoever asked for the check. Most employers accept a CRC or CRJMC; roles with children, seniors, or other people at risk require the VSC.
How to Apply for an OPP Record Check
OPP record checks are online-only. Applications go through the OPP’s official portal, operated by Triton Canada, and detachments no longer process record checks at the counter. A record check costs $41, and fingerprints cost $90 when they are required. Identity verification happens electronically, and applications sitting unverified for 60 days are abandoned.
Questions about an in-progress OPP application go to the portal’s support line at 1-833-909-0057, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Jurisdiction Rule: Read Before You Pay
The OPP portal serves residents of OPP-policed communities only, and it does not refund out-of-jurisdiction applications. Toronto, Ottawa, the rest of the GTA, Hamilton, Niagara, Sudbury, and Thunder Bay all have their own police services, so residents there cannot use the OPP route at all. If you are not certain who polices your town, check before paying: the OPP publishes a coverage map, and your municipality’s website names its police service.
Not Sure Who Polices Your Town? The Online Route Works Everywhere
A standard criminal record check through Instant Record Check sidesteps the jurisdiction question entirely. It searches the same RCMP and CPIC data, works for any Ontario resident whether your town is policed by the OPP or a municipal service, costs $59.97 (pricing), and results typically arrive in about 15 minutes. There is no wrong-jurisdiction trap because jurisdiction does not apply.
One honest exception. Vulnerable sector checks always go through your police of jurisdiction, and no online provider can issue one. Our guides to the Ontario criminal record check and the Ontario vulnerable sector check cover both paths in detail.
How Long Does an OPP Police Check Take?
The OPP does not publish a fixed turnaround. Time depends on electronic identity verification, whether fingerprints are requested, and volume, and the portal abandons applications left unverified for 60 days. The online route through Instant Record Check typically finishes in about 15 minutes for a standard check, which matters when a job offer has a start date attached.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an OPP police check cost?
Through the OPP portal, $41 for a record check. Fingerprints, when required, are $90. An online criminal record check through Instant Record Check is $59.97 and works for any Ontario resident.
Can I get an OPP record check at a detachment?
No. OPP police record checks are no longer completed at detachments. Applications go through the OPP's online portal, which is operated by Triton Canada, with identity verification handled electronically.
What if I do not live in an OPP-policed community?
The OPP portal rejects out-of-jurisdiction applications without a refund, so check first. Apply through your municipal police service instead, or use an online provider such as Instant Record Check, which works regardless of who polices your community.
Does the OPP do vulnerable sector checks?
Yes, for residents of OPP-policed communities, through the same online portal. You need a letter from the requesting organization, and if your letter asks for a criminal record check with vulnerable sector search, the vulnerable sector check alone covers it.
Instant Record Check Team
Writing on criminal record checks and background screening in Canada.
